"I'll appreciate any help you're willing to lend," she said, smiling. No focusing on things going well -- assuming from the get-go they would. Optimism would be more helpful when paired with the realism she fell into naturally. Naruto wasn't here. She had to generate her own optimism, blindly or otherwise. "I've been getting better, if I admit I'm nowhere near where I want to be."

Her attention focused on what Jeka had to say, straightening as she mentioned this merchant of clocks. "This clock," she said, "You didn't happen to hear it chime, did you?" Was it the same ringing doom that Marco had mentioned, amidst his meandering course of what he could remember stopping by during his time on planet?